Guyana extraditions to resume

Guyana\'s National Assembly has cleared the way for the resumption of extraditions to the United States and other countries.



Concerns had been raised as to whether a person extradited to the US could then be sent to a third country by American authorities.



The amended Fugitive Offenders Act now gives the country\'s Home Affairs Minister the power to start the extradition process before going to a Magistrate\'s court to begin formal proceedings.



It became necessary after a recent High Court ruling barring the extradition of a Guyanese drug trafficking suspect to the US.



That extradition was being conducted under an old treaty between the US and Britain that Guyana inherited at independence.



The treaty states that the US can legally extradite the suspect to another country.



The High Court ruling was considered inconsistent with two previous Guyana Court of Appeal rulings that had allowed extraditions to the US.